More ice and freezing rain on the way

Another round of ice and gusty winds could create more problems across Iowa tonight into tomorrow. National Weather Service Meteorologist Frank Boksa says the greatest threat for freezing rain and drizzle is north of Highway 30.

“Northwest Iowa may see the worst of it and by that I mean they might get two-tenths of an inch of ice versus one-tenth of an inch of ice elsewhere,” Boksa said. Areas south of Highway 30 should be spared more ice accumulation, but strong winds will present dangers statewide.

“Those that already have ice on trees and power lines, especially in the southern part of the state, that ice will be melting and when those winds pick up, it’ll be breaking the ice free from trees and power lines and creating pretty much ice missiles,” Boksa said. The forecast could further complicate efforts to restore power to thousands of Iowans who’ve been in the dark since Wednesday.

There is a chance for rising temperatures on Saturday to melt the ice before it could cause more damage. “Hopefully this warm air will surge all the way across the state and we won’t have to deal with much, but at this point, it looks like the northern three or four tiers of counties will be dealing with ice issues overnight and early tomorrow morning,” Boksa said. Saturday’s high temperatures are expected the mid 30s north to mid 40s south. There’s a chance of snow on Sunday, mainly across western and central Iowa.